Though it will be at least two full years before a new Wal-Mart
Supercenter opens its doors across the street from Celina's current Wal-Mart, the store
to-be already has increased in size.
The Celina City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the site plan
for the proposed shopping center near the intersection of Ohio 29 and Havemann Road, and
granted a request to allow a fast food restaurant to open in it.
Bo Gunlock, of RG Properties, the company handling the development
plans for Wal-Mart, said Tuesday that Wal-Mart executives gave his company real estate and
corporate approval to move ahead with the project. Because the current Wal-Mart does well
and pre-leasing activities went well, Wal-Mart increased the planned store's size from
184,000 square feet to 203,000 square feet, Gunlock reported.
The Wal-Mart Supercenter will be comparable in size to the Lima or
Greenville Wal-Mart, Gunlock confirmed.
On the 50-acre site, RG will construct a Wal-Mart Supercenter, two
adjacent buildings and a Wal-Mart gas station. The site plan shows room for future
development on four undeveloped "out-lots."
The site is laid out so the parking lot entrance to the future shopping
center will be directly across from Irmscher Boulevard. On the Havemann Road frontage will
be out-lots for future development and the Wal-Mart gas station with another exit to
Havemann Road further west. Further back on the property will be the supercenter and two
adjacent buildings, with more than 1,000 parking spaces.
Gunlock said the shopping center will be unique because Wal-Mart
insists on owning the building and property where the store will be housed. RG will own
the remainder of the center and rent out lots, or possibly sell them.
Gunlock did not say whether there are any specific deals in the works
to bring in a fast food restaurant, but he said that type of business typically vies to be
near a Wal-Mart.
Gunlock said he hopes to close the land purchase deal with Huffy Inc.,
which currently owns the land, by the end of the year and construction could start next
year. The store would not open until 2005, Gunlock said. After the building is
constructed, it will take nearly a year to prepare the interior of the store before
opening.